Initially I did struggle to read this and gave up on my first attempt. However, once I got used to reading more than a few light novels at a time I gave this another go and I’m very glad I did. This story offers a different type of the traditional “Isekai” genre that you usually see in modern light novels.

The writing style and the expression used is very stylish, sophisticated and most importantly, enticing. Because I’m not a good reader I found it difficult but once I got used to reading light novels back to back I found the style of this series easier to read.

Some of you may already know that I enjoy light-hearted/good feel stories the most and avoid ones that harbour suspense and drama. I feel this has the perfect balance of both. It’s not too light that comedy overshadows the plot but it’s not too serious where it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. It has a good mixture of everything.

When summoned to another world Souma’s life literally changed from the tranquillity of life in Japan to the rough era with an ethos of the middles ages. That meant political issues with neighbouring countries, dealing with corrupt nobles and rebellious duchies, a food crisis, changing the military set-up, but to top it all off, the Demon Lord’s Domain which threatens the existence of mankind. It’s a humongous responsibility for a young man like Souma to bear on his shoulders. I can’t help but sympathise and admire his courageousness through his decisions as a King and as a man.

I really enjoy reading about his journey and how the ladies in his life help him whenever he is down in the dumps. The novel often switches from the storyteller to the casts perspectives which make the story more interesting. It gives you an insight to how the characters are feeling if the situation is personal to them. It also adds a different dimension to the scenario both to the story and to the character.

The characters are wonderful, the fights are good, the politics and suspense are well conveyed, and the ladies are beautiful inside and out. I couldn’t ask for more well-balanced story that offers a mature yet realistic feel to an isekai light novel.

5 out of 5

Post-Review:

I read the three volumes in one swoop and often lost sleep because I wanted to keep reading them on my kindle. It is a fact that makes me sad but equally ecstatic because I thoroughly enjoyed and will continue to enjoy reading this series.

I’m now in the lengthy process of drawing a picture of Liscia, Aisha and Juna together. It will take a while to complete but it will be worth it.

I really do like the concept of the guy being transferred to a fantasy world either through means of a summoning or through reincarnation. In this case Kazuma died a hilarious comedic death and is given the option of bringing any “broken weapon or ability” with him. Yet, out of all of the cards that were dealt, he picked the lowest card of the deck, the joker, Aqua, the most useless card that could be dealt. Haha.

What makes this a good book is how the author conveys both the plot and how he/she depicts the characters in the plot. KonoSuba is classed as a comedy but I feel this isn’t meant to be a comedy, it’s a well thought out story that includes very funny moments. The pace and language is very simple and the plot flows smoothly without over-articulating the writing. I’m not a very good reader and I struggle to take in the information but with KonoSuba I found the books very easy to read.

A good foundation for a story is always important but having good characters is equally as important. I’m happy to say that the characters in this story are amazing, especially the main crew, Kazuma and his party.

Kazuma has no talent and therefore became your average adventurer and forms a party with three high-class adventurers, the Arch Priest Aqua, the Arch Wizard, Megumin, and the Crusader, Darkness. The ladies being as strong as they are should be using Kazuma as their bag carrier, yet, the beautiful catch of this party is that they’re all completely useless in their own quirky ways. Aqua is a Diva, Megumin can only use explosion magic once before she faints and Darkness is a masochist who can’t even hit the simplest of objects. It’s no surprise that Kazuma became leader by default, look what happened when he traded places with Dust. Haha.

The ultimate plot of this over-powered game is for the bog standard Hero, Kazuma, to eliminate the Demon King once and for all. He needs to beat him, or her (it could be a lady) to achieve his unyielding desire and to return Aqua to the Heavens. The current goal is to scrape through each day whilst eliminating all the Demon Generals in the process.

Speaking of Demon Generals, the villains are just as wonderful as the main cast. You have this tough Dullahan, Beldia, who is extremely intimidating when confronting the town of Axel but gets bewildered and rolls around in agony that wouldn’t befit the role of a villain. The other Demon General Wiz has a very unique relationship with Aqua and the polar opposites between them are high and hilarious for unusual reasons. It’s as Kazuma said, they ought to switch places for Goddess and Lich.

The underlying feature that I found beautiful is the relationship between Kazuma and his three party members. They banter a lot and you often see their love and hate relationship, mostly between Kazuma and Aqua, but deep down I think they all care deeply for each other. Their relationship partly reminds me of the relationship between Del Boy and Rodney from Only Fools and Horses (UK Sitcom).

Throughout the three volumes the feelings and bonds between Kazuma and the three ladies grew and developed in significant ways. If nothing happens romantically between them it wouldn’t ruin the story because they will always be close like family and that is just as important as a romantic relationship. =)

I get the impression that Aqua, Megumin and Darkness care more for Kazuma than his family ever did so it’s not surprising that Kazuma treasures them.

5 out of 5

Post-Review:

The modern niche in anime is the protagonist being transferred from modern day Japan to a fantasy world set in the middle ages, KonoSuba is one of them. It was a Web Novel but as far as I understand Natsume stopped writing the Web Novel when Kadokawa licensed the series and thus the Light Novel series was born, and I’m very thankful it was. =)

I first watched the anime on a whim last year and since then I’ve been watching it, reading it and collecting KonoSuba memorabilia back to back ever since. I’m very happy to say that this is one of my all-time favourite series, both as an anime and as a Manga/Light Novel series. I’m especially thankful for YenPress for licensing the series because now I get to indulge in the KonoSuba literature any time at my leisure.

In light of the surging popularity behind KonoSuba there’s a bunch of Spin-offs released as result. Here’s to hoping that YenPress will license these spin-offs in the near future for I, as one, would gladly support and read with pride more KonoSuba. =)

From time to time I look at my older art and with some of them I think “you could have done that better,” and I’m confident I would. This doesn’t mean I’m not proud of my past works though, I see them as progress to the artist I am now. They remind me how I started and where I was 2 years ago.

So much has happened since then. I was excited when one of my pictures received one view but now, since the beginning of the year, I’ve been receiving dozens of requests. It’s the sort of thing I didn’t think could happen, the idea never truly entered my head as a possibility. I’m still amazed by it all, even when I’m receiving requests now. =)

I decided to take a break from requests for the time being as I’ve been working on multiple backlogs since Christmas and I’ve also had spells of being unwell perhaps due to tiredness. I have taken a couple of short breaks between requests but have now decided to take a longer break to “recharge my batteries”. I do love my drawings I just think I’ve been a bit over-enthusiastic and perhaps not rested as much as I should have.

I hope to produce a picture to celebrate my own personal achievement for the last two years. My initial achievement was being brave enough to share my very first picture publicly but now the other achievement is making others happy with my drawings. =)

Over the last couple of years reading manga has become a really enjoyable hobby.

I’ve always struggled with reading since I was little, it’s difficult to put into words but I basically struggled to take in the information of the text which proved to be an uphill task when I was a University student. Luckily I had very understanding tutors who made my education very easy and enjoyable.

Around the time I graduated from Uni I got into manga and I must say I found it life-changing. After years of searching for reading material I found it in the form of manga. Suddenly I went from struggling to read one page to reading and enjoying literally dozens of manga and light novels.

Not only am I enjoying these stories as a fan but they’re helping me in the professional field as an artist and as an author. It may not seem much but it’s a very big deal to me and I’m very thankful that publishers like Seven Seas, Yen Press and everyone else exist to license and publish the manga that we all know and love. I’m also thankful for the Amazon Kindle, because I’m able to read and store so many manga volumes in one little device. =)

To give you a rough idea what I read, I’ll list 13 random Manga/Light Novels I’m currently reading while summarising my thoughts for each of them. =)

MY READING LIST

Bloom into You(Seven Seas)

Volumes: 1

Yuu and Touko’s friendship started off simple but it develops deeper when they learn more about each other. They could become a lovely couple without drama but that quip made by Yuu’s Dad could be a hint of troubles to come. I don’t know why he would have a problem of Yuu having a girlfriend but the fact remains that if Yuu harbours those feelings it would put her in a tight spot.

2. Dragons Rioting(Yen Press)

Volumes: 4

This story is definitely unique, especially the circumstances with Rintaro. This is one of my favourite manga and it makes me sad a little that it’s never received an anime adaptation.

3. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?(YenPress)

Light Novel Volumes: 7

Manga Volume: 6

Sword Oratoria Light Novel Volumes: 2

The first Light Novel I’ve ever read. I like reading all about Bell’s journey and how he overcomes his mistakes and trials in and outside the dungeon. I especially adore his relationship with Hestia, they’re like a young married couple.

4. Kampfer(Digital Manga Publishing)

Manga Volumes: 3

I liked the anime and took the opportunity to read it on my kindle. Although I’m enjoying the manga it is difficult to ignore the quality of the pages, especially when I have to zoom in to read the dialogue.

5. Kiss and White Lily for my Dearest Girl(YenPress)

Volumes: 1

So far the contrast of love and hate between Ayaka and Yurine is adorable and I sense it’s gradually blossoming into a beautiful relationship. Ayaka buying flowers for her “rival” is a sweet touch and proves that deep down she cares about her future girlfriend. 😉

6. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!(YenPress)

Manga Volumes: 2

Light Novel Volumes: 1

An absolutely hilarious story and I like how it’s written in the books. It doesn’t go into detail it just delves right into the plot, and that’s what I especially like about it. If there’s one thing that does disappoint me, slightly unrelated, is how the anime crew didn’t adapt Wiz’s introduction scene. It doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment, just a thought that came to mind. =)

7. My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World(J-Novel Club)

Manga Volumes: 3

I’m happy that more Light Novels are being published in English. I’m currently up to the part in volume 3 where Yoriko prevented Aiko from digging her fangs into Yuichi’s neck. This is an easy to read book and like KonoSuba and Re:Zero it has that air of self-awareness of manga cliché that seems to be the modern and current manga cliché.

8. Oh My Goddess!(Dark Horse Comics)

Volume: 1

Reading the first book makes me appreciate the era it debuted in, I find the story and the fashion very fascinating. Belldandy is such a beautiful Goddess, if I was Keiichi I’d ask her to stay with me as well! I also appreciate the references made by KonoSuba, especially the fateful encounter between Kazama and Aqua.

9. One-Punch Man(VizMedia)

Manga Volumes: 11

One-Punch Man, or as my Auntie calls him, “One Punch Baldy Man,” haha. I got my family hooked on Non Non Biyori and now I got them all hooked on the anime and given time, the manga too. 😉

The concept of this manga is wonderfully different and I find it inspiring as an artist how Yusuke Murata and One met and turned the franchise into a massively well-earned product. =)

10. Please Tell Me! Galko-Chan(Seven Seas)

Volumes: 2

Seeing a manga with colourful pages is very refreshing on the eyes. =) The simplicity of the story is nice too. I especially like how diverse and friendly the classmates are with each other, especially Galko and Otako. =)

11. See Me After Class(Project-H)

Volumes: 2

I never dreamed that this would ever get a license and I’m delighted that it did. =D This story is very humorous and makes me chuckle every time I re-read the volumes. It’s a tad disappointing that volume 3 keeps getting back-dated but it makes me look forward to it more. =)

12. The Testament of New Sister Devil(Seven Seas)

Volumes: 5

I keep on comparing this with High School DxD, I see many similarities yet major differences.

This harem story is visually appealing but one of my favourite moments is when Basara and his group battled against the heroes that filled one whole volume. Fan-service was not needed because the story and climax of that battle was very engaging. =)

13. Witchcraft Works(Vertical)

Volumes: 6

I love expressionless girls like Ayaka, I think her kind of characters tend to be funnier when they deal with situations with a monotone face. Haha. I like her relationship with Honoka and I find it fascinating how he was initially a girl before the story came to fruition.

Hello everyone, I hope you’re all enjoying this festive season. I know I am.

Recently I’ve been putting a lot of my work in progress aside to focus on my very own “Christmas Project.” I’m going to upload 12 pictures per day and use them as a “countdown” to Christmas starting on 13th December. I’ve been planning this for some time and I’m excited that my idea is finally coming to fruition. =D

I planned it so that I would work on two landscape pictures alongside the Christmas Project but I unexpectedly received a lot of requests between November and now. I’m very flattered and happy as I never foresaw that people would enjoy my work let alone ask me for requests. I’m working hard to get the pictures right and currently they’re all in rough stages and ready to be inked and coloured. I’m much busier than anticipated in December but it’s a nice headache to have. =)

Unfortunately I am behind schedule with this project so I’ve been making up for lost time the best I can and as a result I had to put my requests on hold. Christmas, family and baby-sitting duties comes first, especially at this time of year.

This is quite possibly the busiest holiday I’ve ever had and I have often received a lot of blank headaches and being unwell. It’s nothing to be concerned about because I recognise my own limitations and only going beyond the limits when I need to but I also stop and rest when I need to.

The official countdown will start tomorrow. I hope you enjoy viewing these pictures as much as I enjoyed drawing them. =)

I wrote my first ever blog three years ago, around this time. Instead of talking about my favourite moments of the year I’m going to commemorate this anniversary by listing my Top Ten Favourite Anime of all time. =D

From 10 to 1 here is my all-time top ten. =)

10. Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma (2015)

9. Locodol (2014)

8. No Game No Life (2014)

7. One Punch Man (2015)

6. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (2015)

5. Monster Musume (2015)

4. High School DxD (2012)

3. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! (2016)

2. New Game! (2016)

Non Non Biyori (2013)

That’s my list done. What’s your favourite anime? Feel free to comment and we can have a good chat. =D

I’ve been very determined to not look at spoilers of this manga but unfortunately the excitement and curiosity got the better of me. However I was literally on the edge of my seat with Volume Six and despite knowing the outcome of the War Game, I was very engrossed with the whole thing.

I saw a different side to the story from the usual dungeon prowling to an all-out war between two familias. This could have easily been avoided if Bell didn’t take the bait and retaliated to those who insulted Hestia, his Goddess.

I was happy and relieved that Bell’s allies came to aid him when he and Hestia were being chased by the Apollo and Soma Familias. My heart skipped a little when Hestia confessed her love for him. I’m not sure what Bell was going to say but it doesn’t matter now. =D

My favourite part was the War Game.

Hestia’s and Lilly’s strategy was brilliant and cleverly devised. Usually I’ve been able to predict outcomes and moments in manga in general but there were a few twists in this battle that I did not see coming. I didn’t expect Ryu to use the Crozzo magic swords and I didn’t expect Lilly to disguise herself as that prum guy.

Lilly has shown in the War Game that she is more than useful and she played a very important part in Hestia Familia’s victory. Lilly may not be powerful but she out-smarted a lot of members from the Apollo Familia and crucially tackled Cassandra to the ground when she had a hold of Bell’s leg. Off topic for a moment, I’m happy that her situation with Soma has been resolved peacefully. =)

I liked seeing everyone’s point of view during the battle but I definitely would have liked to see more of Bell’s training with Aiz and Tiona. The two top class Adventurers played a crucial part in Bell’s growth and it was great to see more of Tiona.

Speaking of Aiz, it was a nice and cute moment to see Bell and Aiz dancing. I didn’t recognise Aiz being on the front cover, I thought that was a completely different person dancing with Bell. XD

I have my suspicions once again surrounding Freya. It seemed like she didn’t do anything apart from stare at Bell. However, I have a feeling that she had something to do with that amulet that Syr gave him that protected him from Hyacinthus’ magic.

I think that picture that’s been shattered in that golden amulet could actually be Freya herself. It’s the only explanation I can think of as she’s the only one who is helping Bell indirectly.

What do you all think of the book? Overall I think it was awesome and it’s definitely up there among of my favourite novels. As nervous as I was about Bell’s defeat, realistically Apollo was never going to win, even if he did, Freya would crush him and claim Bell for herself. XD

I could literally talk about this book forever but for now I will just leave it here and if you want to chat about it, I’d be happy to talk about the big things and little things of volume six.

I’m very happy in the direction that Monster Musume is going in. Before it was mainly about the monster girls being introduced and becoming a guest in Kimihito’s house as well as becoming a bride candidate. The candidates, aka Miia’s rivals, just kept coming and coming and at one point I thought it was only a matter of time before Kimihito earned the nickname ‘Casanova.’

However, in the past few volumes the story has been branching out and is exploring the other monster girls and their culture without them becoming a bride candidate for Kimihito. I think that’s good because the last thing Kimihito needs is another trip to the afterlife. Haha.

Book nine was especially good and there were quite a number of twists that I didn’t see coming. I think the most unexpected twist for me was when Mero gave Kimihito CPR, or to put it another way, a kiss. If anyone was going to give him his first kiss I expected it to be Miia. Unless he already had his first kiss and I missed something? I know Miia kissed him in the second anthology book to turn him back from squid to human but I don’t think that counts somehow. Haha. =D

I don’t think it was ever a secret that Meroune was a Princess but I’m very pleased that we got clarification on this and the background of her family. We also learned that the Merfolk’s and Mermaids’ obsession with The Little Mermaid was the Queen’s doing.

The sudden change from the tension to light-hearted innocence is as funny as ever, especially the water based puns that I initially thought were grammar mistakes. Haha. =D I genuinely thought Octo was a villain but as turned out, she was the victim of a bad rumour caused by the Queen. In the end I felt sorry for her but I did enjoy the battle between her and Rachnera. You couldn’t call her battle with Cerea and Miia a battle as they were completely one-sided. XD

I liked the change of story too at the end which will become the main focus of Volume 10. I initially thought Yuuhi was a wandering spirit but it turns out that she had an incurable decease. I was a little sad because I anticipated she was going to die which I didn’t think would fit in this light-hearted story. However, I found out later on that Lala snipped Zombina’s tooth and turned Yuuhi into a zombie. Because of that Zombina and her MON colleagues are now all under house arrest.

Monster Musume is always funny from the get go but I’m always pleased how the story branches out and introduce other monster girls in different scenarios.

I really liked the Summer season, it’s my favourite season this year. What’s your favourite? Now that Summer is over we welcome Autumn/Fall. So far the only anime that I’m planning to watch is Keijo!!!!!!!! Hip Whip Girl.

I know of Keijo and by what I’ve seen online it looks funny, quirky and offers something different. It’s basically a sport that takes place on water and you have to knock off your opponent with either your bum, your hips or your chest. This is a female only sport… if this becomes a real life sport I wonder if we will see this as an event in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics? That will be fun to debate about. =D

Keijo is only airing 12 episodes this season but I suspect that Xebec could have made 24 episodes due to the amount of manga volumes that Keijo have already published. Perhaps they’re seeing how popular this anime becomes before creating more. Maybe they have a second season planned that will air next year but haven’t announced it yet.

Whatever happens, I’m really looking forward to Keijo! =D

*

Right now I’m happy and healthy. I worked out the geography map for my fictional story and I’m soon going to celebrate my Niece’s first birthday. =)

My art is going swimmingly well. I recently adopted the colouring and highlighting style from the New Game! anime and because of this I’m liking my art much more, which I didn’t think was possible.

I am taking a rest from my drawing for now as I’m getting rheumatism in my fingers which means that I’m working too hard. It’s a sign that I need to rest.

I’m getting quite a following on DeviantArt and Pixiv and I feel touched by this. It means that my followers are enjoying my work and that makes me extra happy. =)

It seems that most of the anime that I really enjoy and connect with are the ones that I initially don’t plan to watch. I watched KonoSuba 3 episodes in and I had very low expectations of Non Non Biyori before it started and I ended up really liking them both.

At the time when I looked at the New Game! promo posters I did think that the girls looked cute but will I find the story entertaining if it’s based on real life? I added it to my watch list because I wasn’t satisfied on just watching Food Wars and Hybrid x Heart so I decided give the first episode a go.

I can tell you that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was completely captivated with both the story and the characters since episode one. I honestly couldn’t tell you the amount of times that I re-watched each episode on a weekly basis and it does a great job on lifting my spirits and relaxes my mind at the same time.

The story is just so simple and light-hearted and really it’s actually my kind of story. You have a bunch of only girl characters working on a game in an office. Yep, you heard right, not set in a school, but in an office! I think that’s definitely a nice change of pace.

Whilst New Game! doesn’t really have a plot like Non Non Biyori it does have an end goal, at least in this series. That end goal involves all the girls working really hard on their respective job roles to complete the Third Instalment of Aoba’s favourite childhood game, Fairies Story.

When I watch this anime I find that I really connect with the characters. Despite their funny-but-cute facial expressions, this anime feels very realistic and reflects how people feel in real life. All the girls that work in the office are nice but some of them are socially awkward, some more so than others. I can be socially awkward myself, especially in unfamiliar circumstances, so it’s probably the reason why I appreciate them as characters and why I can relate to them so strongly. Haha.

I did sense or detect minor sad elements regarding Yagami’s past but the comedy and light-hearted nature of the show completely overs-shadowed it. Whilst she did have a sour past involving her previous co-workers she persevered and grew as an artist and as a person.

There are elements of character growth, most notably Aoba and Hifumi. Aoba’s growth came with confidence and skill as an artist and with Hifumi is her social confidence. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she started to come out of her shell since Aoba joined Eagle Jump. Yagami clearly had a lot of character growth too but they all happened before the anime began so she probably doesn’t count. XD

As well as the humour, good story and characters my favourite thing about this show is the camaraderie and affection that the girls show to each other. It’s not often that you see regular staff like Aoba mingle with management like Yagami and Hazuki. I think it’s really nice how they support each other as co-workers and as friends. The best part of it is that their relationships as co-workers and friendship are equally balanced which is why I think they’re very successful with their game making.

Speaking of making games, I feel that I got a good insight on how games are made. I knew that a lot of work went into games by many people but I didn’t necessarily know what teams worked on what. I didn’t realise that the roles were delegated to certain areas to that extent. If I were to work at Eagle Jump with Aoba now I would specialise in creating characters but I would probably fall short with debugging and programming.

I’ve learned a lot about game making in this anime. It may not be set in a school but I’m still learning new things from every episode. =D

This might be impulsive on my part but at this moment I feel that this enters into my top five all-time favourite anime, possibly coming to a close second behind Non Non Biyori. For now, let’s say that this is my favourite new and current anime. =D I’m now waiting for the day when Seven Seas announce that they’ve licensed the New Game! manga. I don’t see any signs at this moment that they’re going to license it but for now I will dream. =)